The present invention relates to rear view mirrors and more particularly to an outside rear view mirror adapted to be mounted on the side of a vehicle.
Outside or side rear view mirrors have taken a wide variety of forms. Typically, these mirrors are mounted at the side of a vehicle and include a bracket and a mirror support structure. The bracket is physically secured to the vehicle side. Adjustment of the mirror relative to the bracket and the vehicle is accomplished by a joint structure. Typically, the joint is located at the intersection of the mirror axes. Examples of prior manually adjustable outside mirrors may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 2,726,575, entitled REAR VIEW MIRRORS FOR MOTOR VEHICLES and issued on Dec. 13, 1955, to Koonter and U.S. Pat. No. 3,434,688, entitled ADJUSTABLE SIDE VIEW MIRROR and issued on Mar. 25, 1969, to Engelmann. The Koonter patent discloses a rear view mirror including a bracket attachable to the vehicle and which defines an outwardly extending stalk portion. A mirror is adjustably secured to the stalk by a ball and socket type joint. The portion of the bracket defining the socket of the joint includes a projection extending from its center and through a spherical portion defining the ball. The joint is held in engagement by a spring under compression which pushes the components together.
Mirrors of the aforementioned general type present certain drawbacks in that they extend outwardly beyond the side of the vehicle and the stalk portion of the bracket is rigid. The potential exists for damage to the mirror structure or injury to pedestrians if such are struck by the mirror. In an attempt to alleviate these problems, various forms of so called breakaway mirrors have been proposed. One general type of breakaway mirror includes a bracket which is pivotally secured to the side of the vehicle and extends outwardly therefrom. A mirror is then pivoted to the bracket for adjustment purposes. If a force is exerted on the mirror or on the bracket, the bracket will pivot to a position generally parallel with the side of the vehicle. Such mirrors employ multiple joint structures.
An example of a breakaway mirror structure which does not, however, employ multiple joint structures may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,638,899, entitled OUTSIDE MIRROR FOR VEHICLES and issued on Feb. 1, 1972, to Bonisch et al. The mirror disclosed therein includes a bracket having a short stalk extending therefrom and which is attached to the vehicle side. A mirror case is secured to the stalk by a ball and socket type joint. The mirror case, stalk and joint are configured to permit the mirror to pivot about a vertical axis should the portion of the mirror which projects laterally beyond the outside contour of the vehicle strike a fixed object. The mounting bracket still extends from the side of the vehicle and is rigid therewith.